Compared to the age of life on earth – c. 3.5
billion years – and the age of the human race – c. 2 million
years -, human civilisation has developed at an incredible pace.
This is largely thanks to the progress
brought about by numerous inventions, which made it possible, first,
to record ideas in writing, then, to reproduce them in large numbers,
and finally, to distribute them around the globe at the speed of
light.

The most recent catalyst of human development is to be found in the
venture capital industry which has set itself the task of
identifying revolutionary inventions and aiding their practical and
commercial exploitation. The profit to be had from this is twofold:
whoever finances the next Gutenberg or Edison can expect outstanding
returns and simultaneously, as a member of the human race, enjoys
the boons of progress.